The war stimulated the domestic economy, particularly in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Jobs were opening up rapidly, and because so many white men were fighting the war, many black men were available to work. "For black workers World War II opened up opportunities that had never before existed," (O'Neil 1). The same was true for women, as the war left gaping holes in the labor market that needed to be filled in untraditional ways. At the same time as the war exposed American prejudice, "World War II gave many minority Americans -- and women of all races -- an economic and psychological boost." (Harris 1). The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded, and overall, the war "jump-started the civil rights movement" in the United States (Harris 1; "Identify the impact of World War II on minority groups in America. (U.S. History").
African-Americans might have been the largest aggregate non-white group in the United States, but the Second World War had a strong impact on other social and cultural groups including Asian-Americans, Native Americans, and Latin Americans. Native Americans fought in the war, and many became heroes due to the army's discovery for a use of the Navajo language as a viable code. While the war effort did not necessarily improve the lives of most Native Americans, Native American participation in the war bolstered images of the
The war had a major impact on the personal and collective lives of Mexican-Americans, too. Many fought in combat and like African-Americans, many found jobs that would have otherwise been unavailable to them due to prejudice. Lingering racism, however, led to problems like the Zoot Suit Riots, and similar situations erupted around the country related to non-white minorities participating in the labor market ("Identify the impact of World War II on minority groups in America"). Prejudices against Asian-Americans surfaced in different ways; Chinese-Americans were suddenly treated as allies whereas the Japanese Internment camps are perhaps the greatest reminder that Americans clung hard and fast to prejudices favoring a dominant white culture (Takaki). Likewise, the war exposed anti-Semitism at home as immigration quotas on Jewish refugees remained in spite of Nazism (Harris). Although the war was gradually paving the way for civil rights and social justice, the United States was a slow learner. Women and non-white minorities experienced social, political, and economic empowerment because of the war, but the fight for social justice continues several generations later.
Works Cited
Harris, Michael. "How WWII Affected America's Minorities." Los Angeles Times. 13 June, 2000. Retrieved online: http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jun/13/news/cl-40272
"Identify the impact of World War II on minority groups in America." (U.S. History)." Retrieved online: http://share.ehs.uen.org/node/6217
O'Neil, William L. "Minorities and Women During World War II." Retrieved online: http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/RA/NCraig/Minorities.html
Takaki, Ronald. Double Victory. New York: Time Warner/Little Brown.
